Western University Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository 11-17-2017 2:00 PM Terrorism, Islamization, and Human Rights: How Post 9/11 Pakistani English Literature Speaks to the World Shazia Sadaf The University of Western Ontario Supervisor Nandi Bhatia The University of Western Ontario Joint Supervisor Julia Emberley The University of Western Ontario Graduate Program in English A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree in Doctor of Philosophy © Shazia Sadaf 2017 Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd Part of the Literature in English, Anglophone outside British Isles and North America Commons Recommended Citation Sadaf, Shazia, "Terrorism, Islamization, and Human Rights: How Post 9/11 Pakistani English Literature Speaks to the World" (2017). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 5055. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/5055 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Western. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository by an authorized administrator of Scholarship@Western. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Terrorism, Islamization, and Human Rights: How Post 9/11 Pakistani English Literature Speaks to the World Abstract The start of the twenty-first century has witnessed a simultaneous rise of three areas of scholarly interest: 9/11 literature, human rights discourse, and War on Terror studies. The resulting intersections between literature and human rights, foregrounded by an overarching narrative of terror, have led to a new area of interdisciplinary enquiry broadly classed under human rights literature, at the point of the convergence of which lies the idea of human empathy. Concurrently with the development of human rights literature as a distinct field of study, two new strains of Pakistani literature have emerged on the Anglophone literary scene. Firstly, there are biographical works by women, co-authored with Western journalists, that have become controversial because there are contesting claims about human rights that emerge from their authorship, circulation and reception. Secondly, there are works of fiction, with the potential to be read as rights narratives, that problematize the current universal view of human rights based in the Western tradition of liberalism. The role of these writings is both valuable and disputable, as is reflected in its widely divergent reception by local and global audiences, and in its ambivalent position vis-a-vis universal human rights debates. Therefore, an examination of how Pakistani English literature speaks to the global reader is not only timely, but gainful in its insights. My dissertation has a two-pronged focus. I examine memoirs by Malala Yousafzai and Mukhtaran Mai to highlight how conflicting reader reactions in Pakistan and in the Western world shape such memoirs’ conversation with human rights in the current climate of geopolitical tension. I also analyze recent fiction by Mohsin Hamid, Muhammed Hanif, Kamila Shamsie, Daniyal Mueenuddin, Nadeem Aslam and Jamil Ahmad who face a double ii challenge: writing about human rights violations in Pakistan without being accused of subscribing to Western agendas that promote the same instances of violence to justify military intervention in the region, and shifting the focus of 9/11 trauma writing to include the equally calamitous human rights issues that have resulted in its global aftermath. I propose that close readings of contemporary Pakistani literature can aid in promoting the pluralities of vision that support the “new universalism” movement in human rights as a viable option for global solidarity. Key Words: Pakistani Anglophone literature, human rights, 9/11 literature, War on Terror, memoirs, Malala Yousafzai, Mukhtaran Mai, Muhammed Hanif, Mohsin Hamid, Daniyal Mueenuddin, Jamil Ahmad, Kamila Shamsie, Nadeem Aslam iii Acknowledgments When I was writing the dissertation for my first doctoral degree some years ago, I could never have imagined that I would be writing my second one a decade later. If completing the first one had been a monumental task, I cannot say writing now has been any easier, even with the benefit of prior experience. It is mainly due to the excellent academic support at Western, and the encouragement of so many of my friends and family members, that I have managed to finish within the four-year framework. My first round of thanks goes to my joint supervisors, Nandi Bhatia and Julia Emberley, both of whom have bolstered my confidence, nurtured my research potential, listened to my ideas with interest, and provided constant support for the last four years. I could not have asked for better advisers and friends. I am indebted to Professor Osinubi for reading some of my early drafts and providing excellent feedback that helped me make better revisions. I have really valued the constructive comments he made about my arguments. Also, I owe gratitude to Professor Bipasha Baruah, who invited me to deliver lectures based on part of my research to her undergraduate class for three consecutive years. It provided me a wonderful opportunity to gauge student interest in my work. For Leanne and Vivian in the English Department office, I have the greatest respect and admiration. They were ready to help in so many different ways, answered all my questions, solved a myriad of my dilemmas; all the while doing so with smiles and warmth. I have been very fortunate in having a lovely cohort, among whom I have made lasting friends. Naveera Ahmed and I have been inseparable, going through good and rough times together. She has listened patiently to all my rants about exams and deadlines, offering iv a shoulder to cry on. Other friends like Ramanpreet Kaur, Hanji Lee, Mark Mazur, David Huebert, Jason Sunder, Nahmi Lee, and Nidhi Srivastava have made my experience at Western a very enjoyable one. Zeinab McHeimech has been a specially calming presence during the last year, and an extremely helpful friend. Thanks to everyone. But above all, however, I want to thank my two pillars of strength: My mother, Fazila Shehla, and my husband, Mian Naushad Ali. Without my mother’s emotional and physical help, I would not have been able to finish my degree; and without my husband’s support and recognition of my love for learning, I would never have ventured this far. I am where I am because of them. My daughter Marjana’s caring personality has been a major influence in keeping me on track whenever I felt worn out. Thank you so much for being who you are! My sons, Sohrab, and Aymon, have also been my rocks whenever I needed them. It is for the love of my children that I have persevered. v Table of Contents Abstract…………………………………………………………………..................................ii Acknowledgments…………………………………….............................................................iv Table of Contents…………………………………………………………………...…...........vi Introduction: After 9/11: A New Wave of Pakistani Writing in English……..……..……….1 Chapter 1: Human Rights and Literature……………………………………………………19 Review of Critical Work on the Origins of Human Rights….…………...………......20 The Rise of an Inter-discipline: Literature and Human Rights………………………31 Pakistani Anglophone Literature and International Human Rights Discourse………44 Chapter 2: Islamization and the Articulation of Women’s Rights in Pakistani Writings…..57 Women’s Rights in Pakistan: An Overview…………………………………………57 Voicing Pakistani Women: Memoirs ………….…………………………………….71 I am Malala: Human Rights, and the Politics of the Production, Marketing and Reception of the Post 9/11Memoir………………………………………………76 In the Name of Honour: Mukhtar Mai’s Story, Women’s Rights, and Rape laws in Pakistan………………………………………………………………..96 Chapter 3: The Representation of Women in Pakistani English Fiction…………………..116 Champions of Women’s Rights? Super-heroines in the Pakistani Imagination: Mohammed Hanif’s Our Lady of Alice Bhatti……………………………………...119 Breaking Pakistani Female Stereotypes: Daniyal Mueenuddin’s In Other Rooms Other Wonders ………………………………………………………………….….137 Chapter 4: Global War on Terror and Human Dignity………………………...………….163 Representations of the War on Terror: Kamila Shamsie’s Burnt Shadows…….......169 vi Understanding Tribal Codes in the Age of Terror: Jamil Ahmed’s The Wandering Falcon……..……………………………………………………….174 History, Justice, and the War on Terror: Nadeem Aslam’s The Blind Man’s Garden……………………………………………………………183 Pakistani Literature “Writes Back”: Mohsin Hamid’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist……………………………………….……………..193 Chapter 5: Parting Words: The Future of Pakistani Literature in English………………...205 Bibliography………………………………………………………………………….……212 Curriculum Vitae……………………………………………………………………….…234 vii 1 Introduction After 9/11: A New wave of Pakistani Anglophone Literature I believe that the core skill of a novelist is empathy: the ability to imagine what someone else might feel. And I believe that the world is suffering from a deficit of empathy at the moment. (Mohsin Hamid, Harcourt Interview, 2007) I must find what I have in common with others. Not what sets me apart . then the book will have a better chance of connecting with others. (Nadeem Aslam; “Where to Begin,” 2010) In 2015, the Modern Language Association (MLA) published a volume titled Teaching Human Rights in Literary and Cultural Studies, which makes important advances in the pedagogical field of human rights literature. Its publication follows a decade-long enquiry by humanities scholars